Why do extraverts seem to have so much more energy?

Well extroverts loose energy when they are not around people, they agin energy by being with people, you could think of introverts the same way, we gain energy by being by ourselves and get drained when being with others, both have different ways of loosing and gaining energy.

 

Approach me in a library and I will be the most energetic and kind person you will ever meet (*_*

 

Well, extroverts gain energy by external stimuli. So if you're around them and they're doing lots of stuff, they're going to be pretty energetic :B We, on the other hand, have to give up energy with that, so after a while we run out of steam while they're having a grand ol' time

 

Everything above is correct, but some introverts have a lot of energy for socializing (I do, at least) like everyone has been saying, we (and I) just need a break from people from time to time. The scientific reason may be linked to dopamine, however. It has been shown, if I recall correctly, that 'introverts' have a higher level of dopamine and when we are around people, our dopamine level rises to a uncomfortable level. Extroverts have a low level of dopamine and only feel good when their dopamine level rises, and that rise can be brought on by people.

 

yes, I agree on this too, I need a lot of time to recharge but give me some time and give me a topic I enjoy, I can go talking for hours and hours, with a restless amount of energy which has shocked many people. Introversion does not necessarily mean lower energy, as once we are fully recharged we can be as or more outgoing then extroverts.

 

I definitely have high energy -- but extroverts might be able to maintain that energy more.

And dopamine -- what does that affect? How does that work?

 

Yes, they maintain it better, ours is more prone to different changes of extreme highs and lows as well as somewhere in the middle.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine

It's a bit heavy with the biochemistry, but the section on the brain seems to be not so bad. It's a good overview, and this explains it much better then I could. This neurotransmitter scares me, lol.

 

I'm sorry, that's incorrect. It's actually the other way around, introverts have a lower level of dopamine (and a higher level of acetylcholine) and introverts need their dopamine levels to remain in a very specific (low) range to remain comfortable. Extroverts work in the same way but the dopamine range that makes them feel comfortable is much higher than a introverts and they feel comfortable when their dopamine level is high.

 

Interesting indeed. Did you find this in research papers to back it up, or is this just a theory you came up with? Either way I very much agree with it.

 

It's a theory I came up with based on various things I have come across on the net and a few research papers that I no longer have access to (I was on a college campus and, as such, had access at that point in time). If you use google scholar, though, you can find a few papers on dopamine and introversion/extroversion.

 

I find it very interesting how your able to apply neurotransmitters to different personality theories, I have always associated neurotransmitters more with disorders and emotions such as depression,anxiety and the need to indulge on something..but I did not think of this before, nice way to correlate things

 

Once I get back to school I will plan on doing research on this (I have full access to papers there_. I have always wanted to know neurotransmitter levels corralating to personality, but I have always (wrongly) assumed that it was never researched. This is exciting!

 

incidentally, szitsophrenics (I know I spelled that wrong), have way too high levels of dopamine, and the opposite condition is Parkinsons...

 

and everybody agrees that it's people that eat up the introvert's energy?

 

We tend to feed off other people.

No people, no energy.

 

I would make the argument based on my own observations and understanding of personality types. That Extroverts do have more energy in general or tend to recharge a lot faster.

I've noticed introverts seem to have less energy overall.

 

So an extrovert can constantly be around people and social events and be constantly energised?

I think not.

One thing people don't buy when I explain the whole "where you get your energy from" is that extroverts are painted as being constantly switched on. They get drained at some point and will have to re-energise alone, surely?